I had a chance to take in a few games yesterday and here are some of the highlights. They’re all 2018 draft eligible with the exception of Hughes and Honka:
1) Andrei Svechnikov – 6-2, 188 – RW – He had a pretty goal on a one-timer. He really looks good and has to be doing exactly what scouts thought he would coming into this draft season. He’s doing his best to try and be that second overall pick this June.
2) Jack Hughes – 5-10 – 157 – C – He has speed through the neutral zone that I haven’t seen since Nathan MacKinnon. He’s everything you’ve heard, and more. And if you haven’t heard he’s the unofficial first overall pick in 2019, so far.
3) Mattias Samuelsson – 6-4, 217 – D – His dad Kjell played in the NHL. After that he’s his own entity. I love the fluidity of his skating in regards to his position, he’s terrific on the PK as well. A very intelligent player.
4) Matej Pekar – 6-0, 165 – C – He’s playing on the top line. He’s a good playmaker. He’s feisty and he always has the engine running.
5) Matej Blumel – 5-11, 179 – RW – He scored four goals against Team USA, short-handed, power play, even strength and an empty netter. He’s sneaky fast and sneaky smart.
6) Anttoni Honka – 5-9, 168 – D – He’s the brother of Julius who is in the Dallas Stars system. He is fast, he has a good first pass and he gets the puck back quickly. He does take some offensive risks with the puck.
That’s all for now.